On May 31, the UFC is scheduled to return to Brazil for the TUF: Brazil 3 Finale. In the main event, long time rivals outside the cage and the season’s coaches Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva are set to finally meet. The fight has been a long time coming as the two have been trading barbs in the media since 2010. However, it looks like there may be a significant hitch in the UFC’s plans.
At the pre-fight scrum for this weekend’s UFC 171, Dana White told media members that the UFC Fight Night Brazil headliner is not yet official (via MMA Fighting):
“Yeah,” White affirmed when asked on Thursday if the fight still has yet to be signed. “There’s a lot more to that story than (I can say).
Dana confirmed that the delay had nothing to do with the recent ban on TRT or Chael’s comments that it may lead to his retirement. Instead he said the issue lay with Wanderlei:
White downplayed the American’s comments, stating that the hold-up was coming from Silva’s side, although he could not identify why.
“He’s not balking,” White said of Silva. “Not even a little bit. It’s not over money either. I can’t tell you. It has to do with the show (TUF Brazil 3). It has to do with the show, that’s all I can tell you.”
Assuming the fight goes down as White promises, it will be contested at light heavyweight. A venue has not been officially announced for the event yet.